Tough week for those who may deceive

Friday

Sep 13, 2013 at 6:16 PMSep 20, 2013 at 5:27 PM

By KEN WILLISken.willis@news-jrnl.com

Wow, it’s been a tough week for the nefarious. And, perhaps, the misjudged innocents.No sooner had Diana Nyad showered off from her Havana-to-Key West swim, we began hearing doubts from worldwide swimming experts voicing skepticism about the feat. Without video of her marathon swim, both sides can snipe forever on those oh-so-crowded websites reserved for the marathon-swim crowd.The debate waters will remain murky and no consensus will be officially reached because, as we’ve now learned, marathon swimming has no governing body. And speaking of long-ago swimming stars and governing bodies, what ever happened to Shirley Babashoff? Moving on . . . Unfortunately for everyone involved with NASCAR, race-day audio and video is part of the product and a big reason why the sport grew to its current status with the TV industry. It’s all fun when a driver is telling his pit crew how “dang awesome” they are, or even when a Busch brother or Tony Stewart is sniping at everyone in sight. But when teams are overheard manipulating the outcome of a race, which in turn determines the outcome of the championship picture, well, even the Cook County elections board winces.Speaking of which, over in Tampa, ever-charming Bucs coach Greg Schiano has been accused of rigging the vote. The team’s vote for 2013 captains didn’t yield victory for quarterback Josh Freeman. Schiano said the rumors were “100 percent false” and added, “if there was such a thing as 102 percent, this would be it,” thereby blowing the lid off all those who claim to give “110 percent” effort from time to time.In college football’s land of the biggest meat-eaters — the Southeastern Conference — there are new reports of (GASP!) illegal payments to players in recent years. And one of the SEC’s current star coaches — LSU’s Les Miles — has seen his tenure at Oklahoma State described as something resembling Sodom and Gomorrah. Miles, knowing how coaches can quickly become pillars of salt, naturally defends his former program. And finally, all across the football landscape — both pro and college — everyone is faking injuries to slow down the opponent’s up-tempo offense. Of course, you can’t actually penalize a guy for faking an injury because, you know, he might pull down his sock and show off a compound fracture. Why do we put up with it all? For afternoons like today, when the 2013 national championship is quite likely decided between Texas A&M and Alabama. And best of all, to keep us company, the most underrated and greatest all-around sports broadcaster of our time, Verne Lundquist. “Yes, SIR!”THE PICKSSince Lane Kiffin seems to turn mediocrity and alienation into job promotions, here’s a shot at his future progress: Coach of Dallas Cowboys, NFL Commissioner, Secretary General of the United Nations, Chief Justice of U.S. Supreme Court, Pope. Here’s assuming it begins today — Boston College over USC by 6.Elsewhere, B-CU beats FIU; UCF by 7 over Penn State; Spurrier beats Vandy; Oregon over Tennessee; Notre Dame beats Purdue; Auburn by 3 over Mississippi State; Ohio State over Cal; FSU by a bunch over Nevada; Nebraska over UCLA; Texas over Can’t Miss; the Mules of Muhlenberg over Franklin and Marshall’s Diplomats; and oh, by the way, Johnny Cam by 3 over ’Bama.